Apparatuses for performing dehumidification and humidity control include a refrigeration cycle-type apparatus and a zeolite-type apparatus. A “refrigeration cycle-type” apparatus is mostly an apparatus in which a compressor, i.e., a compression machine, is built therein, indoor air is cooled by an evaporator, i.e., an evaporation machine, and thereby moisture in the air is condensed into dew to dehumidify the air. In a “zeolite-type” apparatus, moisture in indoor air is absorbed by a rotor, and the rotor which has absorbed moisture is subjected to hot air generated by an electric heater, to take out the moisture in the rotor as hot and highly humid air, which is cooled by the indoor air, and thereby moisture contained in the hot and highly humid air is condensed into dew and is taken out.
Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2003-144833 (PTD 1) can be cited as a document that describes an example of the refrigeration cycle-type apparatus. Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2001-259349 (PTD 2) can be cited as a document that describes an example of the zeolite-type apparatus. Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-34838 (PTD 3) describes a configuration having combined features of the apparatuses of both types.
As a large-scale air conditioning system, a so-called desiccant air conditioning system is also prevalent that uses a hygroscopic element, i.e., e.g., zeolite or the like and utilizes this element's moisture adsorption and desorption phenomenon to perform air conditioning such a cooling. In response to a demand for terrestrial environment protection, highly efficient moisture controlling systems are still being vigorously developed. One example thereof is described in Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 5-301014 (patent document 4).
For the above described desiccant air conditioning system, a moisture absorbing/releasing material composed of a base material of glass fiber and a polyacrylate based macromolecular compound carried on the base material is mixed with fine carbon black particles or the like intended for photothermal conversion to attempt to effectively use solar light in recycling the moisture absorbing/releasing material. One example thereof is described in WO 2012/050084 (patent document 5).